Day 34- Jackson Hole

There was some excitement in our campground yesterday. A black bear decided to take a stroll through the campground. He did not cause any issues, but most of all, I did not get to see him. Drat. I like bears (from a safe distance of course).

This morning, I would venture further into Grand Teton NP. There was a scenic loop to take going past Jenny Lake that even had a bike path. That was nice. Plus, the Tetons kept getting bigger and closer as I went.

I got some cookies and a coke at the Jenny Lake Visitor’s Center. I also found out there was a 21 mile bike path from the visitor’s center all the way into Jackson. Separate bike paths are the best thing ever, at least for cyclists. It was primarily downhill too. I only had to deal with a pesky headwind.

Just before Jackson, the path (and Hwy) come to the National Elk Refuge. Cycling along the boundary I saw ……. zero elk. Oh well.

In Jackson, I had to do some errands. First of all, I needed to find a bike shop. I had been hearing a rattle on my bike for the last few days and finally figured out that my water bottle cage had broke. So a new one was task one.

Next, I needed to go to the Forest Service office to get some information on campgrounds. I think I have previously mentioned that I had been following the Adventure Cycling route maps. Today, I was going to be venturing off the route. I did this way back after Glacier NP, but this time it will be for about a month. I have the route planned, but my camping locations were still very uncertain. The people at the USFS really helped me out there. I feel pretty confident now about the next week.

So now, the only thing left to do in town was find some lunch and update this blog (which was about 3 days behind due to lack of any service at all). The Snake River Brewing company solved the last problem for me. I stayed there until 4:30 getting things caught up. Then it was on to the Hoback Canyon FS campground about 19 miles away. There was another bike path for the first 5 miles but it disappeared in the middle of a road construction project. After that a local bike commuter told me how to get onto the old Hwy which had virtually no car traffic on it. It involved riding on some gravel single track for a few hundred yards but well worth the effort. Then all that remained was 8 miles through the Hoback River Canyon which was a fantastic, beautiful ride.

The campground was really nice, right on the river. I paid for my spot and then started talking with a guy named Shane from Phoenix who was fly fishing the river. Low and behold, next thing I know he is getting his backup rod and rigging me up! We actually caught quite a few native cutthroat trout in about 45 minutes! What a great bonus to the day. Thank you Shane! Finally I had to quit since I had not even set up my tent yet and it was starting to get dark. Well, we have to have out priorités now don’t we. Fishing first, camp second.